Chapter 71: Chapter 71: The Shen Family’s Change

After more than a month of arduous travel, Shen Haoran and Ji Lingxuan finally returned to the gates of Cyan Mountain City. Gazing at the familiar city gates, Shen Haoran was overcome with emotion. When he left two years ago, he was just a brash young kid at Spirit Tempering Tier Seven. In the two years since, he had experienced so much, not only had his power skyrocketed, but his temperament had also matured considerably. He was now a powerhouse who could stand on his own!

"Let’s go!" Shen Haoran said after a moment of reflection, and started walking toward the city gates. However, Ji Lingxuan, who was behind him, didn’t follow. She just stood there, looking hesitant.

"What’s wrong, Ling Xuan?" Shen Haoran asked, confused.

"Um... well... Brother Haoran, does this count as... meeting the in-laws?" Ji Lingxuan said shyly, her face flushing red.

Hearing Ji Lingxuan’s words, Shen Haoran froze for a second before bursting into laughter.

Watching Shen Haoran laugh so hard he couldn’t close his mouth, Ji Lingxuan’s face turned an even deeper shade of red, like a ripe apple!

"Brother Haoran, if you laugh again, I’m leaving!" Ji Lingxuan pouted, displeased.

"Alright, alright, don’t be like that. Let’s go. You have to meet the in-laws sooner or later, don’t you?" Shen Haoran teased.

"You..." Ji Lingxuan looked at the roguish Shen Haoran, at a loss for words.

"Come on, let’s not keep Grandpa waiting!" With that, Shen Haoran ignored Ji Lingxuan’s protests and pulled her straight through the city gates.

Once inside the city, they wound their way through the familiar streets until Shen Haoran and Ji Lingxuan arrived before a long-unseen gate!

"Shen Mansion!" Just seeing the plaque, Shen Haoran could already feel the warmth of home. He couldn’t wait to go inside and see his grandfather!

"Come on, let’s go in!" Shen Haoran strode toward the main gate and reached out to open it, but to his confusion, the Shen Family’s gate was locked from the inside!

’This isn’t right! The Shen Family should be at its liveliest around this time. Why would the main gate be locked?’ Shen Haoran’s brows furrowed slightly as a sense of unease rose in his heart.

"Is anyone there?" Shen Haoran banged on the gate a few times, trying to summon a clansman, but no one answered.

’Could something have happened?’ The unease in Shen Haoran’s heart grew stronger.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! He knocked several more times, but still, there was no response.

Staring at the still-locked gate, Shen Haoran gathered all his strength into his right palm and blasted the Shen Family’s main gate open!

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! The instant the gate flew open, the sound of something slicing through the air rang out as two sharp arrows shot straight for Shen Haoran’s face!

Fortunately, Shen Haoran was prepared. With a slight twist of his body, he easily dodged the arrows. At the same time, he blurred into an afterimage, instantly appearing beside the guard in the courtyard who had fired them, raising his right fist to strike!

But when he saw the familiar face, Shen Haoran abruptly halted his attack, forcing his body to twist in mid-air and landing behind the guard.

It took a long moment for the guard to react. A second ago, under Shen Haoran’s fist, he felt as if he had stepped through the Ghost Gate; death had been that close! Having escaped disaster, a cold sweat instantly drenched his clothes.

"Shen Erlong, what are you doing?" Shen Haoran asked the guard, who was still frozen in place. He had seen this guard a few times before he’d left and happened to remember his name.

"You’re... Young Master Shen?" Shen Erlong cried out, looking at the familiar face.

"Young Master Shen, you’re finally back!" The next moment, before Shen Haoran could react, Shen Erlong grabbed his leg and began to wail.

"What is it? What happened?" Shen Haoran quickly helped him up and asked.

"Sigh, it’s a long story. Old Sir Shen and the Elders are discussing it in the assembly hall right now. You should hurry over and see!" Shen Erlong said, his face etched with worry.

Seeing Shen Erlong’s expression, Shen Haoran felt a sense of urgency. After a few words of comfort, he and Ji Lingxuan headed for the family’s assembly hall.

Watching Shen Haoran’s retreating figure, Shen Erlong closed the gate again, then ran deeper into the compound. He had to tell everyone that Young Master Shen was back!

Meanwhile, inside the Shen Family’s assembly hall, Old Sir Shen and several Elders were gathered around a table. Their faces were all fraught with worry, and no one spoke a word, making the atmosphere extremely oppressive.

"Everyone, let’s hear your thoughts on this matter," Old Sir Shen said, his brow tightly furrowed as he was the first to break the silence in the hall.

"Could it be the Ge Family causing trouble behind the scenes?" the Third Elder said, tapping on the table.

"Unlikely. The Ge Family wouldn’t dare to act so brazenly against our Shen Family. Besides, my informant in the Ge Family reports that they’ve also experienced similar harassment these past few days, just less frequently," the Fourth Elder said, shaking his head.

"Then it’s strange. The Ge Family, the Shen Family, and even the Liu Family have all been harassed in similar ways. Could someone be targeting all three of our great families?"

"This..."

Just as everyone was lost in thought, a guard burst through the door.

"What are you doing? Barging in so recklessly! Don’t you know the Elders are discussing important matters?" the Third Elder scolded, looking at the panting guard.

"El... Elder! Young Master Shen... Young Master Haoran is back!"

"Haoran is back?" Hearing the guard’s words, Old Sir Shen exclaimed with delight.

"Quick, bring Haoran here!" Old Sir Shen said impatiently.

"Grandpa, no need to call for me. I’m here!" Just as Old Sir Shen’s voice fell, Shen Haoran appeared at the entrance of the assembly hall.

"Grandpa, esteemed Elders, it’s been a long time," Shen Haoran said with a bow.

"Haha, you boy. You’re home now, no need to be so formal! Come, come, sit. Let Grandpa get a good look at how you’ve changed these past two years!" Old Sir Shen boomed with laughter.

"Grandpa, not so fast. Let me introduce you. This is Ling Xuan!" Shen Haoran said, pulling the shy Ji Lingxuan out from behind him.

"G-Grandpa... hello," Ji Lingxuan said softly, her head bowed.

Gazing at the impossibly beautiful young woman, Old Sir Shen was a bit taken aback. The other Elders were stunned as well.

"You brat, not bad! You go away for a bit and bring me back a granddaughter-in-law! You’ve got your grandpa’s style from back in the day!" Old Sir Shen roared with laughter.

Hearing the old man actually call her his granddaughter-in-law, Ji Lingxuan’s face turned completely crimson. She wished she could find a crack in the floor to disappear into!

"Grandpa..." Shen Haoran called out helplessly, looking at his irreverent grandfather.

"Haha, alright, I’ll stop. Come, tell us what you’ve experienced these past two years. I can see your strength has already reached the level of a Tier Six Spirit Pupil!" the old man said with some surprise. He knew that when Shen Haoran left the Shen Family two years ago, he was only at Spirit Tempering Tier Seven. To jump two entire major tiers in just two years was astonishing!

"It’s nothing, we can talk about that later. I want to know what’s been happening to the Shen Family recently. Why is everyone in the clan so on edge?" Shen Haoran asked with a frown.

When Shen Haoran asked about this, the assembly hall fell silent once more. Old Sir Shen gestured for the guard to close the door, then said, "For the past two months, the Shen Family’s markets and shops have been frequently attacked by unknown assailants. Half a month ago, they even dared to attack the Shen Mansion itself! But we managed to repel them.

But it didn’t end there. In the last two days, the attacks have become more frequent, and the assailants are getting stronger. Our clansmen have started getting injured, and the family’s businesses are under threat."

"Is the Ge Family not involved in this?" Shen Haoran asked.

"No. The Ge and Liu Families have also been attacked, but much less often. It seems these attacks are primarily aimed at our Shen Family," Old Sir Shen said, shaking his head with worry.

Hearing this, Shen Haoran lowered his head in thought. ’The Shen Family always keeps a low profile in Cyan Mountain City, so it’s unlikely to be revenge from an old enemy. Could it be the Spirit Crane Sect?’ The image of Zuo Chuan flashed through his mind, but he immediately dismissed the idea. ’If it were the Spirit Crane Sect, they wouldn’t have attacked the Ge and Liu Families. So who could it be?’ Shen Haoran was completely baffled.

"Oh, right. There’s another strange matter. Shen Cheng has disappeared! And it was as if he vanished into thin air!" the Third Elder added, as if suddenly remembering something.

"Vanished into thin air?" Shen Haoran was stunned, not quite understanding.

"After Shen Cheng was put in confinement, he was locked up in the back mountains. But three months ago, a servant who went to deliver his meal said he was gone! I went to investigate later. There were no signs of anyone entering or leaving, and the lock on the door hadn’t been picked. It’s as if Shen Cheng simply vanished!"

Hearing this, Shen Haoran’s brows knitted tightly. ’It seems a lot has changed in the Shen Family during the two years I was away!’